Essay Two Criteria
Extended musical analysis essay
Due Date: Friday, 3 Nov 06 16:00
2500 words
Weight: 50%
Task Description: examine a post-1977 band, performer, CD, film or music DVD, located within one or more of the following contexts: industry, culture/society, politics, history, musicology/genre, technology, economy, nation, ethnicity, postmodernity.
What the essay is:
Yes, it’s just a bigger version of the first essay. You have the option to perhaps expand on issues that you explored in your first essay, applying similar analysis to an entire CD, discography, career etc. Alternatively, you can start all over again with new contexts, performers, genres etc.
Common mistakes in essay one:
a) Writing off the top of one's head. Remember that research is crucial: your friends may be impressed that you have an encyclopedic knowledge of techno/death metal/indie rock/Backstreet Boys etc., but a university essay requires intelligent research, which should be appear in the essay in the form of correctly referenced quotations or paraphrasing.
b) Not adequately establishing one's context. Several students simply jumped into musical analysis and began throwing around terms like 'postmodernism' or 'music industry production standards' without explaining what the terms meant (that's where the research comes in). Think in terms of structure: outline your context/s; place your subject (CD, band etc) within that context; then bring the two together with examples of musical/textual analysis.
What the essay isn’t:
a) A lazy album review. Remember that this course doesn’t really care whether or not you like or dislike your chosen performer or recording. The fact that you may consider Wolfmother’s CD to be ‘heaps awesome’ is irrelevant; Wolfmother only becomes an appropriate choice once you locate a context relevant to the course with which to analyse their work.
However:
Your subjective response to your chosen CD/band/DVD etc (eg., the ‘heaps awesomeness’ of Andrew Stockdale’s, erm, vocal technique) can provide a route to relevant contexts. For example, several critics have noted that Stockdale’s vocals are reminiscent of early 1970s heavy metal and progressive rock acts; perhaps this is what you mean by ‘heaps awesomeness’, and in this way your initial subjective evaluation could thus provide the beginnings of a research program via which you might ask things such as:
"Has the band played into this/attempted to capitalise on this postmodern connection? Do their guitar riffs, instrumentation, production, videos, artwork etc. also hint at early 1970s influences? If so, why might they be drawing on these associations? What label are they on? Is it independent or a major? What type of audience are they seeking/have they attracted? What might it mean that this audience is possibly too young to know or care about early 1970s rock? Have other similar bands helped make their success possible? Are they part of a movement? Are they a reaction against a previous musical trend?"
The most crucial part of the process comes next: researching the relevant contexts. All of those points I make above are merely assumptions/hunches on my part. They wouldn’t make it into my essay unless I was able to provide a contextual framework via a review of relevant literature (don't forget that I have provided a list of recommended readings in a previous post, which are divided into categories: industry, technology, video, charts, copyright, politics, textual analysis, gender, postmodernism, Australia, as well as several genres; note also that those categories are fluid and can, and most probably will, bleed into each other)
b) It is also not a compilation of stuff you copied and pasted from Wikipedia. Sigh.
For further help, please see the previous posts ‘Essay hints, tips and cheat codes’ and ‘Another essay tip’.
Please indicate on the cover sheet whether or not you require detailed comments, as some students never bother to pick up their essays. If you just want a mark, please let me know.
All written assessment items should be presented with a cover sheet. Details to be shown on the cover sheet include name, student number, course title, course code, assignment topic, date and time submitted. Cover sheets can be downloaded fromhere
Ensure that course code and tutor’s name (Cory Messenger) are clearly marked.
The general essays submission box is outside the School of Music Office, Room 429, Level 4, Zelman Cowen Building (not in the Michie Building).
Good luck, and don't be afraid to impress me.
Due Date: Friday, 3 Nov 06 16:00
2500 words
Weight: 50%
Task Description: examine a post-1977 band, performer, CD, film or music DVD, located within one or more of the following contexts: industry, culture/society, politics, history, musicology/genre, technology, economy, nation, ethnicity, postmodernity.
What the essay is:
Yes, it’s just a bigger version of the first essay. You have the option to perhaps expand on issues that you explored in your first essay, applying similar analysis to an entire CD, discography, career etc. Alternatively, you can start all over again with new contexts, performers, genres etc.
Common mistakes in essay one:
a) Writing off the top of one's head. Remember that research is crucial: your friends may be impressed that you have an encyclopedic knowledge of techno/death metal/indie rock/Backstreet Boys etc., but a university essay requires intelligent research, which should be appear in the essay in the form of correctly referenced quotations or paraphrasing.
b) Not adequately establishing one's context. Several students simply jumped into musical analysis and began throwing around terms like 'postmodernism' or 'music industry production standards' without explaining what the terms meant (that's where the research comes in). Think in terms of structure: outline your context/s; place your subject (CD, band etc) within that context; then bring the two together with examples of musical/textual analysis.
What the essay isn’t:
a) A lazy album review. Remember that this course doesn’t really care whether or not you like or dislike your chosen performer or recording. The fact that you may consider Wolfmother’s CD to be ‘heaps awesome’ is irrelevant; Wolfmother only becomes an appropriate choice once you locate a context relevant to the course with which to analyse their work.
However:
Your subjective response to your chosen CD/band/DVD etc (eg., the ‘heaps awesomeness’ of Andrew Stockdale’s, erm, vocal technique) can provide a route to relevant contexts. For example, several critics have noted that Stockdale’s vocals are reminiscent of early 1970s heavy metal and progressive rock acts; perhaps this is what you mean by ‘heaps awesomeness’, and in this way your initial subjective evaluation could thus provide the beginnings of a research program via which you might ask things such as:
"Has the band played into this/attempted to capitalise on this postmodern connection? Do their guitar riffs, instrumentation, production, videos, artwork etc. also hint at early 1970s influences? If so, why might they be drawing on these associations? What label are they on? Is it independent or a major? What type of audience are they seeking/have they attracted? What might it mean that this audience is possibly too young to know or care about early 1970s rock? Have other similar bands helped make their success possible? Are they part of a movement? Are they a reaction against a previous musical trend?"
The most crucial part of the process comes next: researching the relevant contexts. All of those points I make above are merely assumptions/hunches on my part. They wouldn’t make it into my essay unless I was able to provide a contextual framework via a review of relevant literature (don't forget that I have provided a list of recommended readings in a previous post, which are divided into categories: industry, technology, video, charts, copyright, politics, textual analysis, gender, postmodernism, Australia, as well as several genres; note also that those categories are fluid and can, and most probably will, bleed into each other)
b) It is also not a compilation of stuff you copied and pasted from Wikipedia. Sigh.
For further help, please see the previous posts ‘Essay hints, tips and cheat codes’ and ‘Another essay tip’.
Please indicate on the cover sheet whether or not you require detailed comments, as some students never bother to pick up their essays. If you just want a mark, please let me know.
All written assessment items should be presented with a cover sheet. Details to be shown on the cover sheet include name, student number, course title, course code, assignment topic, date and time submitted. Cover sheets can be downloaded from
Ensure that course code and tutor’s name (Cory Messenger) are clearly marked.
The general essays submission box is outside the School of Music Office, Room 429, Level 4, Zelman Cowen Building (not in the Michie Building).
Good luck, and don't be afraid to impress me.
posted by Cory Messenger | 12:03 AM
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